On November 8, 2013 the deputy state attorney general, on behalf of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, argued that Central Valley residents who sued the state over the planned construction of high-speed rail had no standing to sue. Instead, the state contends that it is the responsibility of the state legislature to determine whether the… Continue Reading
Privacy For All Students, a coalition of parents, students, non-profit and faith groups, announced on Sunday, November 9, 2013, that they had collected 620,000 signatures in an effort to repeal California’s transgender rights law, AB1266. Political strategist Frank Schubert, who led the Prop. 8 campaign and contributed to the effort to block of same-sex marriage… Continue Reading
This spring, California Governor Jerry Brown proposed a number of significant changes to K-12 funding in his 2013-2014 budget proposal. Brown’s proposal would provide marginal increases in per-pupil spending while implementing a new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). The formula offered two key changes from the status quo: It utilized a “need-based” metric for funding… Continue Reading
On Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law increasing the types of medical workers allowed to perform abortions in California. AB154, sponsored by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), permits physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse-midwives to carry out abortions during the first trimester. Non-physicians will have to undergo training… Continue Reading
The San Diego Ethics Commission levied a $7,500 fine on political action committee, Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio for Mayor 2012, for failing to follow campaign disclosure laws. The missing information included the names of the committee’s principal officers, a valid street address, and expenditure records during the 2012 mayoral election. The group… Continue Reading
On September 25, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill to raise California’s minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2016. Assembly Bill 10 raises the current minimum wage of $8/hour in two $1 increments, the first by July 2014 and the second by January 2016. It passed on Sep. 12 in… Continue Reading
Following 33 hours of negotiations held by federal negotiators, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) workers went on strike Friday, October 18, 2013, over pay and work rule changes. Currently, union workers’ average gross pay is $76,500. Although union and management reached agreement on changing worker pension contributions from zero to 4 percent, and increasing monthly… Continue Reading
On October 1, 2013, the United States Congress came to a stalemate and could not pass a budget bill, ultimately leading to the shutdown of the federal government. This shutdown caused many government institutions to cut unnecessary activities and furlough approximately 800,000 “non-essential” government employees. As a result of the shutdown, the housing market faced… Continue Reading
On Friday, October 11, 2013, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced that 38 medical marijuana dispensaries will be shut down following a voter-approved crackdown. The dispensaries do not comply with Measure D, a municipal ballot measure passed this May that garnered 63 percent of the vote. Measure D restricts the number of dispensaries in… Continue Reading
On Tuesday, November 19, 2013, the Rose Institute of State and Local Government held a panel discussion on the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court struck down key provisions in Shelby County v. Holder. The Institute was fortunate to have two voting rights experts on the panel: Bruce Cain, distinguished political scientist and director… Continue Reading
